Tan Muxing seriously doubts that the brother-sister relationship between He Shichen and Chu Qianli can't stand the test of study, so He Shichen chooses to transfer the conflict and crisis to his friendship with his deskmate.

Except for sports and art, Tan Muxing's grades in all subjects are average. He usually has a hard time urging his deskmate to study, mainly because he is not qualified. He has different ideas from He Shichen, and does not have a strong fighting spirit. He also thinks that his deskmate is good at calculating and has a wealthy family, so he can live a good life anyway.

Tan Muxing sighed as he looked at the mock exam report card on the table. He looked at the shocking last ranking and didn't know what to do for a moment.

But her score was too low.

Although she is strong in astrology, she should at least have a diploma.

A moment later, Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong came back to class skipping and jumping. They had just finished the additional test for girls' physical education and even ran to the school gate to steal some takeaway milk tea.

Qiu Qingkong put the plastic bag on the desk, picked up two cups of milk tea from it, and said, "I'll take it to them."

Chu Qianli nodded, took out another cup from the bag, and handed it to the big white bear classmate: "This cup is yours."

"Thank you." Tan Muxing asked doubtfully, "...didn't you bring it to He Shichen?"

"The money printer doesn't drink milk tea, it only drinks black ink." Chu Qianli added, "Like coffee or something like that."

Tan Muxing held the iced milk tea in his hand. He always felt that his hands were heavy, as if he had taken on the heavy responsibility of persuading his deskmate to study hard.

Chu Qianli sipped the milk tea with a straw, stirred it happily, and began to enjoy it.

“Is it delicious?”

"It's delicious. Qiu Qingkong said it's an online celebrity store. The delivery fee is more expensive than my poker."

Tan Muxing secretly glanced at his deskmate from the corner of his eye. He felt that she was in a good mood. He began to rack his brains to organize his words and tentatively asked, "We will have an extra day off before the midterm exam. Do you want to come to my house?"

"Okay, we didn't go to the natural scenic area last time, so we can go together this time." Chu Qianlisi agreed without hesitation, and she was obviously very enthusiastic about talking about the Muxing family.

Tan Muxing said quickly: "No, I mean we should review together..."

Chu Qianli frowned, then smiled and said, "That's fine, you guys review, I'll go to the natural scenic area!"

Tan Muxing was silent for a few seconds, and he suddenly felt that something was wrong with the topic, so he said with a stiff upper lip: "...You have to review too?"

When Chu Qianli heard this, she immediately slumped down on the table like a soft bone and began to complain again: "I don't want to review."

Tan Muxing consoled her kindly, "You have to get your diploma, otherwise you will be in trouble in the future..."

Chu Qianli fell silent. She really wanted to reply, “Do I have a future?”, but she shouldn’t say that.

She is now going to school as usual, because she doesn't want others to find out that she is abnormal, which will inevitably cause an uproar. Even if she sees the information in the future, she can't reveal everything.

Chu Qianli pressed his face against the desk and asked in a muffled voice, "Is the diploma useful?"

Tan Muxing was stunned. He shook his head in distress and advised softly: "You may think it is useless now, but it may be useful in the future, such as going to college, or doing other things..."

Chu Qianli said nothing.

Tan Muxing said gently, "I know you like astrology, but didn't you also tell Uncle Jianping that our personalities make us behave differently, and then produce different results? You don't have to force yourself to study all the time, but if you work harder at the critical juncture before the exam, maybe there will be a change."

Tan Muxing was afraid that his tough attitude would cause his deskmate to rebel, so he could only use Chu Qianli's words to convince her.

Chu Qianli looked surprised: "Did I say that?"

Tan Muxing nodded seriously: "Yes, do you remember telling me about the lunar nodes? You said that if you get stuck in the field you are familiar with, you will not make any progress, so you want to study Marxism-Leninism. If you keep focusing on astrology, the result may not be good. Reviewing before the exam is almost the same as studying Marxism-Leninism..."

Chu Qianli's eyes widened. She was quite shocked at this moment and asked in amazement: "How come you remember everything!?"

Chu Qianli had forgotten what she had said, but she felt it sounded familiar as soon as she heard it, as if these things really happened.

Tan Muxing smiled bitterly: "Of course I remember it all. Only if people don't indulge in primitive instincts can they reach a future where they can develop their potential. Growth, change, and evolution are the core of astrology."

He still has no interest in metaphysics, but he always believes what she said.

"Damn it, you're using magic to defeat magic!" Chu Qianli wailed, holding her head, "I have no excuse now."

If Tan Muxing had used other people's great principles to persuade her, she would have a hundred clever ways to make excuses, but he actually randomly quoted her quotes. She couldn't say that what she said before was wrong, right?

Seeing her wavering, Tan Muxing said, "We can review well first, and when we feel tired, we can go to the scenic spot, or we can play games together for a while before studying..."

"If you graduate from high school and go to college, we can find more delicious food and fun things to do near the university town. Now the school is too far from the city. The university town in the city is very prosperous and there are many university activities. Don't give up these possibilities."

Tan Muxing works hard to weave a better future, hoping to motivate her deskmate.

"Is it possible?" Chu Qianli was suddenly touched by this. She pondered for a long time and lowered her head and said, "...Okay."

She wasn't sure if this had anything to do with her, but the wish for Flash was always right.

Tan Muxing let out a long sigh and said with a smile, "Then let's review together before the midterm exam?"

Chu Qianli nodded slowly. She thought for a moment and added decisively: "But I will only work hard during this period before the exam. I promised to work harder during the critical period!"

Tan Muxing said helplessly: "...This is also fine." It's better than not learning at all.

Before the midterm exam, the school will rearrange the desks and classrooms and give students an extra day off to review. Chu Qianli, Tan Muxing and Qiu Qingkong set a time and agreed to get together for a weekend pre-exam sprint.

As the saying goes, the first time is new, the second time is familiar. Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong have been to the Tan family compound before, but this time there is an uninvited guest.

Inside the house, warm sunlight poured in, and the boys and girls were busy doing their papers.

Chu Qianli looked up at He Shichen unwillingly. She finally stood up and pushed her big white bear classmate, saying angrily, "Why is he here?"

Tan Muxing looked away with guilt, and he was at a loss for words to explain.

Chu Qianli said in a sad voice: "You and I are friends, why did you call him over?"

Chu Qianli doesn't want to stay at home on weekends because she doesn't want to be stared at by He Shichen. It's difficult for her to slack off now.

Tan Muxing: “…I don’t have any.”

Chu Qianli said angrily: "I understand, I understand. You still think he is better. His grades are much better than mine. I am not the most important."

Tan Muxing waved her hands in panic: "That's really not the case!"

Tan Muxing always felt that the quarrels between siblings affected him, and he was just a poor person who was caught up in the internal strife of the He family.

He Shichen said that he would set a range for everyone to take the exam. As the top student in the class, he was very good at taking exams. Tan Muxing had no reason to refuse. He thought that if his deskmate wanted to learn quickly, he still needed the help of a genius student.

Qiu Qingkong also didn't expect He Shichen to come. She didn't dare to chatter anymore and just lowered her head to do her homework.

He Shichen put down the book in his hand, looked at Chu Qianli who was talking about Muxing, and said calmly: "Stop making trouble, finish your questions, you should be able to pass after finishing these."

Qiu Qingkong whispered: "Since you are all coming, we can just go to the teacher's house, right?"

If Chu Qianli and He Shichen were both there, I could obviously go to He's house to review.

He Shichen: "I have to go to school this afternoon, so I can't stay with you all the time."

He Shichen was very busy, and he came to see if Chu Qianli was studying. After confirming that she was not cheating, he left. He circled the key points of the test quickly, explained a few difficult questions to everyone, and watched Chu Qianli finish the basic questions before preparing to take the bus to school.

Chu Qianli had been looking forward to the money printing machine leaving, but the others were a little hesitant when they saw it.

Qiu Qingkong asked curiously, "Aren't you going to review?"

He Shichen: "This kind of pre-exam cramming doesn't work well for me."

"…Excuse me."

Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong sat in the house and continued to do their homework, while Tan Muxing saw He Shichen off.

Before leaving, He Shichen looked around the magnificent Tan family compound. He paused for a few seconds and said thoughtfully, "By the way, do you know the market price of your house?"

Tan Muxing said honestly: "I'm sorry, it should not be tradeable, so there is no market price."

He Shichen nodded calmly: "Yeah, I guess so, we can only think of other ways."

Tan Muxing: “?” What other methods?

Tan Muxing was a little confused after hearing this, and didn't know why He Shichen said that.

Inside the house, Chu Qianli saw He Shichen leaving. She immediately jumped up excitedly and couldn't wait to go for a walk in the natural scenic area.

Tan Muxing wanted her to study for a while longer, so he used the excuse that there were many tourists on Qianshan Mountain and agreed to go over in the evening to take a look, thus avoiding the peak tourist season.

The three of them studied hard for a day, had dinner at Tan Muxing's house, and then took advantage of the remaining sunlight to go up the mountain. Chu Qianli and Qiu Qingkong finished their visit to the scenic area, and it was very convenient to take the highway back home.

In the dim light of the setting sun, the beautiful Qianshan Mountain is no longer covered with the clouds and mist of the day, but is instead covered with a thin coat of brilliant golden light.

The Tan family was quite familiar with the scenic spot, so the three of them didn't even buy tickets and just slipped in through the side door.

Chu Qianli praised: "But this is also very humane. It's a bit sad to think that you have to buy a ticket to go up the mountain to worship your ancestors."

Tan Muxing confessed helplessly: "You do have to buy tickets for ancestor worship, mainly because there are too many people coming to the house, but normally two or three people can sneak in and just borrow the staff's card to swipe."

Many villagers nearby work in the scenic area, and their ancestors are more or less related to the Tan family.

Qiu Qingkong: "I haven't seen anyone from your family these two times?"

"My grandpa lives in a yard halfway up the mountain, and my parents are not in Beijing recently." Tan Muxing explained, "My uncle and his family have to go to work in the company, and they think it's too remote to live here, so they don't come here often."

"I used to live in the city, but I will move back when my parents return to Beijing. It's still too far for me to go to school." Tan Muxing's family members were worried about him living alone, so they recently settled him in the Tan family compound.

Chu Qianli: "Wuwuwu, as expected, only people who own a compound can dislike a compound. Ordinary people don't even have the qualifications to dislike a compound in a scenic area."

Tan Muxing: "..."

The three of them took a sightseeing bus, traveling through the lush forest, and finally arrived at the relatively flat top of the mountain.

There were indeed few tourists in the evening, and without the crazy crowds, people had more space to appreciate the beautiful scenery.

There are many ancient buildings on the top of the mountain, bamboo leaves swaying, paths deep and secluded, people dressed in Taoist costumes sweeping the stone steps. Light smoke is floating, and the air is filled with the aftertaste of burnt incense ash.

"Are there any Taoist priests here?" Qiu Qingkong asked while taking pictures of the beautiful scenery.

Chu Qianli walked along the path and said, "It's called Qianshan, so it should be a Taoist temple."

Tan Muxing: "Yes, the mountain is where Taoists practice meditation."

Qiu Qingkong looked at the buildings in the distance and said hesitantly, "I can't really tell these temples apart."

Chu Qianli patiently explained: "Generally speaking, Taoist buildings are not called 'temples', they are basically Taoist temples, or they are called 'palace' or 'temple' with 'palace' or 'temple' added at the end."

"Why?"

"Because Taoism emphasizes 'harmony between man and nature', they are keen on studying celestial phenomena, and some people even want to attain enlightenment and become immortals, so Taoist temples are often built on mountaintops for stargazing." Chu Qianli sighed, "Alas, who wouldn't want to own a mountain to stargaze?"

Tan Muxing quietly reminded him: "...the idea of ​​owning a mountain is not in line with Marxism."

Chu Qianli blamed herself and said, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I will dare to do it again next time."

The three of them walked all the way to the gate of the Taoist temple. Qiu Qingkong saw that they were offering free incense. She was so excited that she wanted to make a wish before the exam. She also called out to her companions: "Aren't you going to burn incense? For the midterm exam or something?"

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing shook their heads in unison. The former said that he was a believer in Marxism, while the latter did not believe in it.

Qiu Qingkong was not disappointed by her companions. She ran excitedly to the free window and got the unified incense from Qianshan Taoist Temple.

Tan Muxing really didn't understand the occult enthusiasts and wondered, "Why does she like tarot readings and burn incense at the Taoist temple?"

Chu Qianli waved his hands: "Hey, Chinese people don't care about these things. They just believe in whatever is useful. Anyway, casting a wide net will always work."

The two stood outside waiting for Qiu Qingkong, but when Chu Qianli saw her running towards Yuanjun Palace, she finally realized something was wrong.

Chu Qianli quickly ran into the hall and pulled Qiu Qingkong out: "Why are you here to burn incense?"

Qiu Qingkong was stunned and said, "I looked around and found that this is the only temple that has goddesses. How can we support their business?"

Chu Qianli: “?”

Chu Qianli complained: "I thank you for your thoughtfulness on behalf of Bixia Yuanjun, but it's really not necessary..."

The one Qiu Qingkong almost wanted to worship was Bixia Yuanjun. This goddess really had great magical powers. It was said that she could "make the poor rich, the sick well, the farmers long years, the merchants rest, the people who pray for life long years, the childless people have heirs, the sons for the parents, the younger brothers for the elder brothers, and strengthen the relationship between relatives"①. The most famous of these powers was the gift of children.

Chu Qianli said sadly: "I understand your mentality of casting a wide net, but you can't be too extreme in everything. She has so many magical powers but you don't ask for them. Instead, you ask for her academic skills which she is not good at. This is not supporting the business. Are you trying to challenge her?"

Qiu Qingkong gave up Wenchang Temple and insisted on coming to Yuanjun Temple to study. It was like asking a copywriter to do sales and forcing technical personnel to do administration. Even a god would be angry about the unclear division of labor.

Chu Qianli: "Superstitious people should at least respect their job and stop picking on people who don't have it on their resume."

Qiu Qingkong: “…”